Village the setting for new celeb radio tale

A RADIO programme made in Robin Hood’s Bay and featuring comedy star Johnny Vegas made its debut on the air this week.

Shedtown is about two friends and colleagues heading into middle age and decide to escape to the isolation of a shed on the beach.

The shed becomes a possibility of change where the two pals can bypass the mundane and become children again.

Johnny, who last year agreed to be the president of Fylingdales Football Club, has made no secret of his love for Robin Hood’s Bay and is a frequent visitor to the village.

He even roped in some of the locals to help him out with the production, which aired on Radio 4 on Wednesday night and will continue at 11pm on the 8, 15 and 22 June.

Neil Purves, the ice-cream man in ‘Bay, lent production company Woolyback Productions a shed and gave them use of a cricket club shed as well as locating other props for the show.

In return, Johnny has agreed to make a donation towards a new roller for the benefit of both the football and cricket clubs.

There are some other big names on the programme including actresses Suranne Jones and Maxine Peake and Paul Heaton from the Beautiful South has done the music.

Johnny Vegas told the Whitby Gazette: “The series has a dreamlike quality and we captured that partially in choosing to record on location in one of the finest seaside towns in North Yorkshire.

“The locals gave us access to their sheds, provided buckets and spades and just made us feel extremely welcome.”

“Woolyback Productions isn’t really a personal vehicle for me, it’s about making projects that we really want to make, some of which do include me.”

Woolyback added: “We don’t ever hear Robin Hood’s Bay referred to in the fictional series – but we can hear its atmosphere and the sound of its sheds.

“It was important to us that we recorded on location in order to capture the special, slightly magical sea-side feel of Robin Hood’s Bay.

“We couldn’t have found a more welcoming place, the cast loved it and to our delight it was surprisingly cost-effective – renting cottages and using the beach for recording instead of spending days in a dark, expensive studio.”